Thursday, December 11, 2008

This chair has a topologically folded single-piece seat made of polyurethane. Available as a chair, a barstool, and a lounge chair among other forms from Sawaya & Moroni, it has true visual appeal, though I can't vouch for the comfort test.I'm not the only design fan captivated by Sawaya's design tastes. Both Metropolitan Home and Maison Francaise featured his Milan apartment recently (see this blogger's great photo spread!).

Saturday, November 08, 2008

The Chestnut Residence in Newport Beach, California (architect Dan Heinfeld's personal residence) incorporates low VOC paints and no-paint plasters, recycled terazzo floors, and a cool roof/solar array system to provide power with the aim of being a sophisticated modern sustainable home.

Inhabit has a full write-up on the property and its integration of green building strategies.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Save the date for this artsy weekend event: the Sixth Annual Cedars Open Studios tour. The weekend event in the Cedars neighborhood south of Downtown features open house opportunities to see artists and their works.

The day is planned to conclude with a sunset performance art piece titled “Decorating the Tree” by glass blower Jim Bowman.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

"The Origami series looks at an abstraction of penetrating, folding, layering and juxtaposition of surfaces - static versus dynamic forces; a static moment of suspended action, frozen from a manual of folds."

Phillip Michael Wolfson, a Cornell-trained architect, is known for both his design and sculpture works, with his unique use of shape and lines. More commentary and more pictures are available at Dezeen.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Biombo Chairs by Daniel Milchtein convert from screen to seating in a few easy slides. According to original Design Milk posting, the wood veneer chair, built over a hinged wood structure, when is not in use is a folding screen (Biombo). The surface of the seat can be engraved with a graphic image that transforms it into a decorative object when folded flat.

Monday, August 25, 2008

"The Firewinder® Wind-Powered Outdoor Light is a sculpturally designed outdoor light, which harnesses the wind to create a beautiful upward spiralling light every time the wind blows. In the daylight and when the wind isn't blowing, the product looks unobtrusive. But at night and when the wind blows, it creates a silent wind-powered firework show, illuminating an amazing 'never-ending' and completely mesmerising twirl of light.

Tom Lawton inspired and developed this funky garden feature, the Firewinder®, in the UK, in the hope that it would help people think about the invisible beauty, awesome power and endless resource of the alternative energies that encircle us. Tom's dream is that the Firewinder® will be adopted as an international symbol of sustainability throughout the world. "

Thursday, August 21, 2008

"this past year...i took apart used cooking/cleaning appliances, and arranged their interior parts very systematically on a white sheet of bristol board. my intention was to explore the hidden "brains" of these appliances; allowing us to view these everyday objects from a new perspective."

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The art conspiracy group does it again. At 8pm, Saturday 6/21 at Sons of Hermann Hall they will feature another iteration of SEED with several bands and artists participating. For $5 you can listen to the sounds of Matthew and The Arrogant Sea, Beauxregard, Spector 45 and Pet Hospital.

There will be an artwork auction including some one-0f-a-kind moleskine journals. Since the end of May, 15 artists including Kim Cadmus Owens, Marcus Striplin, David Hopkins, Diane Sikes and Tina Medina have been filling up page after page of Moleskine journals with drawings, paintings, photography, lyrics, observations and more. During the SEED event, the journals will be auctioned along with original work from additional Dallas artists.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

According to this release today, over $2 billion in development plans are in the works for Oak Cliff, just north and east of the Bishops Arts district, in striking distance of the Trinity River project.

Incap Unveils Full Scope of $2B Plan for DallasBy Connie Gore

Incap's VisionDALLAS-With 300 acres of entitled land now ready for development, Incap Fund is pulling the cloak of secrecy off its plan after two years of market speculation and limited details. The $2-billion build-out is a vision to reshape the landscape of Oak Cliff.

"We had a blank canvas for master planning," says Alan McDonald, managing director of Dallas-based Incap. "Now we're starting to take offers on this." Incap has divided the assemblage into four districts, investing $240 million into the land acquisitions, scraping roughly 2,000 apartments and prepping the dirt for resale, he tells GlobeSt.com.

Incap has nearly 100 acres of the ready-to-go mixed-use land under contract or under negotiation, with closings set to start in July. The dirt is bringing $30 per sf to $35 per sf, McDonald says.

Kessler Woods PlanFirst out of the chute will be an 8.93-acre sale to Dallas-based Sky Modern Homes, which will develop 96 zero-lot line homes and row houses as the third phase for its Kessler Woods, according to McDonald. The developer is getting the sites of the Acorn Tree Apartments and Gulf Latin Church along West Davis Street.

In October, McDonald says Gus Woehr of Dallas will buy four acres for an 80-unit residential project. Woehr's site once held the Kings Highway Apartments in the city's oldest conservation district.

Closing in November will be 4.3 acres that once held the Chateau Crete Apartments along Stevens Forest Drive. McDonald says the development partnership is Beck/Holley, with Dallas-based Beck Group at the forefront of the deal.

Another 10.15 acres near Methodist Hospital will be sold in November to a national homebuilder. The hospital controls another 5.44 acres, also earmarked for development. McDonald says he can't release the homebuilder's name due to a confidentiality clause, but the build-out plan calls for 200 multifamily units, 200 senior housing apartments, 150,000 sf of medical office and 150,000 sf of retail.

A 4.9-acre site at 1836 W. Davis St., once Cliffwood Apartments, is being marketed to retail developers for $32 per sf. McDonald says the vision is to create another eclectic shopping district like Knox-Travis. Another 5.34-acre tract along Cedar Hill Drive also is being marketed.

The urban campus is "the largest undeveloped tract in the inner city," McDonald says. And, he quickly points out that it's just 3.5 miles from Downtown and Uptown.

McDonald says Incap's tracts aren't contiguous like other massive redevelopments that he's undertaken in Dallas. "But, the unique part of these tracts is they are in the most fabulous neighborhoods in the city and the oldest ones in the city," he says. Many surrounding homes were built in the 1920s and 1930s. "They are little jewel boxes," he says. In the past five years, he says the various neighborhoods have transitioned from an aging population to the Gen Y age crowd, spawning eclectic emerging pockets like the Bishop Arts District.

Incap's land bank is situated within the 589-acre Davis Garden District Tax Increment Financing District. McDonald labels it a "new generation TIF" because it is so broad-based and focused on residential redevelopment, including affordable and seniors housing, unlike TIFs of Downtown and Uptown. Interstate 30 is Incap's northern boundary; Davis Street, southern; Methodist Hospital, eastern; and Pinnacle Park, western.

But for the veteran McDonald, the assemblage is another opportunity for him to reshape a Dallas neighborhood like he did with projects in Uptown and Knox-Travis.

Typical Site ViewHe says the second-story view from all the assembled tracts will be the city skyline, the Trinity River and the to-be-built Calatrava bridge trio. "That's the view corridor from every single site on the second floor," McDonald stresses, "and it's unobstructed because of the Trinity River's flow. The river is coming back with the Calatrava bridges and town lake plan and it connects to the original neighborhood that was the birth of Dallas."

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Not all markets are as "dealer"-loaded as the downtown sheds of the Dallas Farmers Market. The Dallas Morning News has a good summary of the options in the Metroplex, but here's the list:

CITY OF DALLAS FARMERS MARKET: Daily, 7 a.m. to

6 p.m., year-round. More farmers, including organic, sell on Saturday mornings than any other day. Also pasta, beef, Alaskan seafood, pastured meats, cheese, eggs, butter. Many small markets buy local produce from farmers at the Dallas market. 1010 S. Pearl; 214-939-2808. If you are going to the market for a specific item, call 214-670-5879 for availability.

CORSICANA FARMERS MARKET: Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to sellout. Season opens Saturday and closes at the end of September. Run by Navarro County Farmers Market Association. State Highway 75 Business at Sixth Avenue, Corsicana; 903-874-2670.

7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A small natural-foods market that sells local produce in season as well as locally produced meats and pastured chicken. 1026 S. Main, Duncanville; 972-283-8851.

COWTOWN FARMERS' MARKET: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to sell-out. When season gets going, may add Wednesdays. Besides farmers, it has an artisan bread baker, coffee beans, natural granola. Part of North Central Texas Farmers Markets. The market's Fresh Line tells what's going to be at the market and any changes due to weather. Closes after the first fall freeze. State Highway 377 at Southwest Boulevard, Fort Worth (east side of Weatherford traffic circle, parking lot in front of Texas Outdoors); 817-462-1426; www.simplyfreshfw.com.

DENTON COUNTY FARMERS MARKET: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to sellout. Season opens Thursday and continues through Sept. 15. Farmers from Denton County only. Fruit, vegetable, herb and flower show in mid-June is open to all growers; cash prizes. Mulberry at Carroll, adjacent to Bayless-Selby House Museum; 940-891- 0051.

EDEN'S ORGANIC GARDEN CENTER: First and third Saturdays of each month,

9 a.m. to noon. Small organic farmer's market with eggs, meats, chicken, plus fruits and vegetables. For products such as meat, it's best to order in advance through the vendor. Get the contact number or e-mail from Eden's, 4710 Pioneer Road, Balch Springs; 214-348-3336; www.edens organicgardencenter.com.

GRAPEVINE FARMERS MARKET: Thursday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to sell-out. Season opens May 24. Part of North Central Texas Farmers Markets. 325 S. Main St. (behind the gazebo downtown); 817-410-3185 or 1-800-457-6338 (toll-free).

GRAND PRAIRIE FARMERS MARKET: Thursday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to sellout. Opens May 22, with grand opening May 24, and continues through Nov. 1. Part of North Central Texas Farmers Markets. City Hall Plaza, south side of city hall, 317 College St.; 972-237- 8000; www.gptx.org.

LAKE WORTH FARMERS MARKET: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Run by Fletchers Produce with several local growers. 7601 Jacksboro Highway at Surfside Drive (on Azle side of the bridge); 682-238-7864.

McKINNEY FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon. Local produce (including organic), pastured meats, chicken, eggs, farm butter and more. In Chestnut Square Historic Village, about three blocks south of the main square at McDonald and Anthony (park in lot on McDonald); 972-562-8790; www.chestnutsquare.org.

OLD TOWN LEWISVILLE FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. or sell-out, through Oct. 27. Wayne Ferguson Plaza between Main and Church streets; www.cityoflewis ville.com. (Old Town Business Association)

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Before.... After....At 8am sharp on a Sunday, specifically on the same day that the Dallas News featured the preservation of MCM architecture in Dallas (see prior post), the Harwood Smith-designed office building at 2505 Turtle Creek Blvd. was razed by the developers. The full story is on Unfair Park. Apparently the permit for demolition was issued in the first week of April -- the day after the CPC denied the rezoning application, citing, among its reasons, the Smith connection. Sneaky way to start of a luxury hotel project, isn't it. Progress it is! So much for preservation, I guess.

Dallas's finest daily paper features the increased attention being paid to preserving mid-century modern homes in the area. The focus on architecture of this era has become more important as tear-downs of noted properties like the Horace Meyer-designed Morris Zale home (1949) have become more prevalent. Recently Preservation Dallas led efforts to add MCM office building to the National Register of Historic Places, and has listed other buildings as "endangered".

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Young German designer Daniel Jarr's alarm clock takes design to a sleek new level. This prototype is designed to set the alarm by pressing down on the right hand side of the clock (the main body of the clock pivots slightly on its base). Pressing down on the left side of the clock tips the clock in order to get a 10 minute snooze. Pressing down on the analogue clock’s frame illuminates the clock's dial in low light situations.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Craftastica had a great description of using natural materials (cabbage, onion peels, and flowers) to dye eggs. This is similar to what I did with my grandmother as a child, although I like the idea of using the flowers and clover as resist.

Almond Corner uses brown eggs to get a tone-on-tone look, but using white eggs and a variety of onion peels can get some very interesting marbled designs.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

While it's not a new idea (see this Islamic architectural example from a bath), these examples of ceiling panels are much more stunning than plain-'ol clear skylights...giving you and your visitors an unexpected artistic "pop". More info here and more examples here and here.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The webcam cannot hide how the construction of the first of the three (or is it two? Depends on funding calculations) signature Calatrava bridges over the Trinity River greenway to the west of Downtown. The Margaret Hunt Hill bridge that extends Woodall Rogers west into Singleton Boulevard is in the footings stage. Additional construction on segments is going on at a fabricator's in Italy.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

With an eye to the future and one foot in the past...it's amazing to appreciate how our city's landscape is changing. The above images of Elm Street and the Houston Street viaduct are courtesy of Dallas Sights, which has numerous views preserved online. Thanks to Unfair Park for mentioning a new book, Greetings from Dallas ($13.57 at Amazon), which includes over 140 vintage cards featuring the Dallas of years past. They've also pointed us to eBay, where you can begin to amass your own vintage collection. Or start saving today's cards, and your grandkids won't believe the pre-LEED, gas-dependent downtown that we used to traverse.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

That's one of my favorite headlines to type in (here and here before)! Scott + Cooner and McGannon Showrooms are having a “cleaning out of the warehouses” sale this weekend. Pieces from Cassina, Moroso, Poltrona Frau, etc will be marked down drastically. At the Decorative Center showrooms, open to the trade this Thursday and Friday (9am-5pm) and the public Friday (9am-5pm) and Saturday (10am-4pm).